I work at a restaurant and I feel the only reason they hired me was because my brother has been working there for 4 years. I have been cross trained as a cook, prime, buffet front, and am currently working as commissary (prepping all food) and am only getting paid $7.50 an hour. The only way I could learn more is to learn to do dress broil or grill and all of those require that there is an opening to learn.

How long have you been there? I do restaurant work too (line cook), and it sounds like you've learned what you can from that place. And with me and the other cooks I know, once you've learned everything you can from a restaurant, that's when it's time to move on (typically takes at least a year or two).So long as you've been there at least 6 months or a year or so, that's enough experience to get work in another kitchen. I don't know what kind of place you work at, if you're doing pretty basic stuff there or doing like upper scale/ fine dining type *** (which I doubt from the mention of a buffet), but you can move up for sure. There's no openings to move up where you are? Go somewhere else. If you don't care so much about cooking amazing food and need the money, I would definitely suggest looking at chain restaurants like Chilis and Red Robin and *** like that. Those places tend to pay cooks more than most other kitchens. Fun fact, even line cooks at a badass michelin starred restaurant probably get paid about as much- likely less- than cooks at chain restaurants. So yeah, hopefully that helps a little. Good luck dude, cooks are a poor bunch haha

While I'm posting I guess I might as well make a legit post. Things have been alright with me lately. I can't believe it's already been 6 months working at this place. There's still a lot left to learn though, my chef is a badass for sure. But yeah my life for the past while has consisted of work in the evenings and often times, drinks after. On my days off I usually chill and try to catch up on my gaming. Thinking about buying a couple of new books, Robuchon and Michael Mina likely (yup more cook books). Anyways work tonight should be fun I guess, we're one cook short. He had the opportunity to cook at an event with a lot of huge name chefs (thomas keller, nobu, wolfgang puck, blah blah blah). So he's over there breaking down whole pigs right now. We have an event at work and are supposed to be busy though, so we'll see how it goes. The stupid events the owners plan can be hit or miss, their 80's night idea was *** horrible. They tell us to expect 200 people for the 80's night menu and we got 2. Some other stupid event though we had for some of our new cocktails and stuff though we did good, I know I had my ass kicked all night with Sashimi platters and oysters on the half shell. Tonight should be alright either way though, whether the event is a bust or not.

Also I'm beginning to dabble in to the wonderful world of beer cellaring. I currently have a Vertical Epic, an Imperial Russian Stout, this Juxtaposition black pilsner, and a kona coffee/ macademia/ coconut porter aging right now. All those beers are made by Stone AKA like the best brewery around (Pat, if you read this go take the brewery tour since you're close, it's beer heaven). The Stone Vertical Epic has to be one of, if not THE best beer I've ever had. Anybody who likes darker/ heavier beers and is lucky enough to live near a place where Stone is sold, definitely pick some up.

Also I'm beginning to dabble in to the wonderful world of beer cellaring. I currently have a Vertical Epic, an Imperial Russian Stout, this Juxtaposition black pilsner, and a kona coffee/ macademia/ coconut porter aging right now. All those beers are made by Stone AKA like the best brewery around (Pat, if you read this go take the brewery tour since you're close, it's beer heaven). The Stone Vertical Epic has to be one of, if not THE best beer I've ever had. Anybody who likes darker/ heavier beers and is lucky enough to live near a place where Stone is sold, definitely pick some up.

Got the vertical 09 I see... I just bought 2 today, one to drink and the other is for aging. In my cellar I also have vertical epic 07 and 08. The 07 was alright, it was a sasion and I wasn't too terribly impressed, but it was still good. The 08 I have not drank yet, but I have 2 of them so I am planning on cracking one open sometime soon and saving the other one until 2012. Also if you haven't got it yet, I highly recommend the stone 13th anniversary if it is still available.

Do you like unibroue beers at all? La Fin Du Monde is a personal favorite.

I came home yesterday because today is my mom's birthday and my dad went up to the cottage to shingle the roof, so I thought I should come home to keep her company (since my brother sucks).

We got a new TV and my brother used it last night to play video games, and didn't change the source back to satellite, so this morning when my mom went to watch TV, she couldn't figure out how to, so she shouts up the stairs to my brother to ask him how. He basically storms down the stairs, shouts at her saying she's ignorant and he won't tell her how to put it back because she needs to learn how to do it herself. They fight until I can't stand it anymore (it's her birthday) so I tell my brother he's a jerk and I go downstairs to fix it, and I can hear my mom crying in the laundry room. She then leaves the house in the freezing cold because she now feels unwelcome in her own home. On her birthday.

I picked her up and we went out for the afternoon, but I have to leave tonight and I feel really bad about it. :(

Just got back from a Greek festival. It was fun. It was cool to see all the different dances and there was cooking demonstrations and people were selling art and just all sorts of things going on. We also bought some gyros for lunch which was delicious. Now, I'm waiting for my friend to come over and we're gonna jam for awhile before getting some dinner. So, it's been a pretty great day so far.